Autism activists push case

Kanjian joins plea for health insurance

March 18, 2008|By Mark Hollis Staff Writer

Palm Beach County Commissioner Bob Kanjian and his son, Jack, 9, will join autism advocacy groups today to make an emotional plea to state legislators.

The Kanjian family will be in Tallahassee helping lead a push for legislation up for key committee votes in both the Florida House and Senate that would require health insurers to cover services for people with the neurological disorder.

Autism strikes one in 150 children in Florida, often severely impairing their ability to process information. While a wide range of other debilitating conditions such as diabetes and muscular dystrophy already are required for health coverage, most insurance companies do not cover therapies related to autism.

One of the most common treatments is known as applied behavior analysis, or ABA. Advocates describe it as a means of changing behaviors, such as curbing repetitive movements, coaching nonverbal children to communicate, teaching kids how to respond to various social cues, and helping them learn from things they see and hear. It's a highly individualized, highly regimented - and often very expensive - approach.

"Why aren't these autism treatments covered by insurers?" asks Kanjian, whom Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed to a state task force on autism. "I'm convinced that it's because of the difficulty of it being diagnosed. So many of the other things [that are covered] can be detected with a simple blood test. You can't give a quick medical test to a young man or woman and find out [if they are autistic]."

The Kanjian family had the financial means to pay for the treatments. But Bob Kanjian and other advocates say families can spend $1,000 a month on these services, which leaves many low- and middle-income families unable to get the treatments.

According to a 2006 study by the Harvard School of Public Health, which is identified in a Senate bill analysis, it can cost about $3.2 million to take care of an autistic person over his or her lifetime. The proposed legislation would demand insurers provide at least a maximum benefit of $36,000 a year.

Kanjian owns several businesses related to the real-estate industry.

"If the real estate market were like it is today seven years ago," said Kanjian, "I would have had a hard time and might not been able to [pay for the ABA treatments]."

Only four states - Indiana, Minnesota, South Carolina and Texas - require insurers to cover the therapy.

Florida has 51 mandates, the seventh most in the country. Adding mandates, or requirements of what health insurers must cover, increases premium costs.

Gaining legislative approval for mandatory health coverage is a tough political sell in Tallahassee. Last year, 11 new mandates were proposed, and none were approved.

This year, Gov. Charlie Crist has said he's open to considering the autism-related legislation if it reaches his desk. Meanwhile, the Republican governor is seeking approval for legislation that would allow private health plans to sell policies that include no mandates, with the goal of reducing insurance company costs so drastically that they can help provide low-cost policies to reduce the number of uninsured Floridians.

Mark Hollis can be reached at mhollis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5512.